Full Moon Belgian White Ale | Mudshark Brewing Co.

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Notes / Commercial Description:
A Belgium wheat ale, spiced with orange reel and coriander that is strong and smooth. The Full Moon Belgium White displays a hazy orange amber color with a light aroma of sweet orange. This is another delicious beer to enjoy on a warm Arizona evening.

Reviews by JohnnyJam:

Poured from a 12 oz. brown bottle with no freshness date visible into a pint glass and I got 1/2 fingers of head.

A: Pours a hazy golden color with 1/2 fingers of head that dissipates quickly to leave only a soapy ring around the top of my glass. Little to no lacing.

S: Big smell of yeast and bread. Also, a smell of orange blossoms and coriander.

T: Something citric at first and then sweet like malts and then really sweet and finishes spicy. I do not detect the taste of alcohol, even though the ABV is 8.5%.

M: Thick and creamy and low carbonation.

O: This is not a beer that I would have again. I can not recommend it. Unfortunately, this is the closest beer that I have had to a drain pour since I tried Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA. That is a strong statement coming from me. I'm glad that I only bought one. This beer is just too malty and too sweet... cloyingly sweet.

More User Reviews:

Almost everyone else who has reviewed this beer is a fool. It is an amazing take on the Belgian White. Imagine drinking a beer you could have more than once in a 'blue moon' that also has a high ABV (8.5%). I honestly can only drink this now in 64oz increments. Great beer. Great job. Everyone else that gave poor reviews? Shut up. No one likes you.

Poured a clear amber body with a thin bubbly head. Overall impression of appearance is of a pale ale or an IPA, not true to form for a witbier at all. Scents of orange peel, orange flesh and spicy coriander at moderate levels with a moderately sweet malt and light hints of honey and wheat. A slight ham-like aroma is also present, which hurts the overall aroma profile, as it should not be present in a witbier. Overall impression of aroma is of a fairly standard witbier, brought down by an off-aroma that should not be present. Not horrible, but far from an exemplar of the style. Flavor begins highly sweet with notes of orange zest, spicy yeast with flavors of white pepper, coriander and some honey sweetness. This moves into a still sweet middle with spices melding well with the malt flavors. Finish is sweet, with notes of honey and sweet malt and some light wheat flavors mingling with spicy coriander and an apparent, yet light alcohol presence that increases to moderate as the beer warms. Aftertaste is sweet malt, grainy malt and indeterminate spices. Overall impression of flavor is of a beer that while not bad on its own merits, is a terrible example of a witbier. Too sweet and boozy for the style, and lacking in the crisp character and dry to semi-dry finish of the style. Mouthfeel is medium-full bodied with medium-light carbonation and a creamy, thick feel. Overall impression of mouthfeel is again, not bad, but not a witbier. It is too thick, too low in carbonation, too creamy and too filling for the style. Overall this is an okay beer and an abysmal witbier. Nothing about the beer other than the ham-like aroma is off, but for a beer selling itself as a witbier, it falls far short of what the style should be. It is not bad for a generic American Pale Wheat and if the brewery marketed it that way I would be far less harsh on it. But it is marketed as a witbier and I rate it as a witbier. If you want a pretty good, decently strong American Pale Wheat however, this is not a bad choice.

Yellow-orangey body with a minimal notion of head. Sharp cidery aroma, boozy. Middling mouthfeel. Some taste, modest wheat. Orange and corriander there,astringency in the finish in mouthfeel, secondary sweetness. High ABV for the style. Above average carbonatin.Not that finishable.

Enjoyed on-tap at the Mudshark brew-pub several times over my week-long stay in Lake Havasu City for Spring Break.

Pours a bright, unfiltered, golden yellow with a finger of snow white foam and an orange slice on the rim, promptly pawned off on my girlfriend. Nose is strong on the advertised coriander and orange peel, with a hearty, musty yeast. Taste reflects the spice, citrus, and yeast in the nose, with some other light tropical fruit notes and a dry champagne finish. The 7.9% abv was highly-touted by the waitstaff and well-hidden. Another solid Mudshark brew, refreshing on a hot Arizona night.

According to the can I'm holding, this beer is a whopping 8.5% alcohol by volume! It certainly doesn't seem like it, but it is a bit bigger than I would expect for the style.

Instead of the usually very light golden body, this is more of the orange of a hefeweizen. And the body is fuller as well, clocking in at a solid medium whereas most witbiers are medium-light. And the flavor, well, the flavor is quite solid in comparison to some of the more delicate examples of the witbier style coming out of Belgium... Wittekirke, for one. No, this one is more of a hefeweizen in character with a lot of yeast upfront, almost driving it; and it's wheaty and peppery and fruity and vanilla-ish with a delicate citrusy edge that's more orange than lemon - but not really what you'd consider "wit".

That said, and in a completely hedonistic frame of mind, forgeting that it's labeled as "Belgian White Ale", I kinda like it. It's wheaty, fruity, and gently earthy with a spiciness that appears immediately following the first sweet note of malt and hangs on long into the very long and lingering finish. And in that sense, it reminds me of a Belgian tripel. The yeastiness reminds me of a weizen, and I almost feel like there's a touch of banana to it, but it never really comes to the front.

Interesting for sure, and surprisingly strong without notice, Full Moon is an enjoyable brew without question. However, I think it lacks a bit in drinkability as there's not enough complexity or depth of flavor to warrant the strength - and you will feel the strength after one. Still, I'd certainly say it's worth giving it a try.

Grabbed a bottle at the Whole Foods in Sedona. No head, but appears a hazy golden orange. Tastes like a wit-tripel hybrid for the deep spicy yeast character matched with the sweeter wheat malt. The orange peel is very mild, and the earthy finishing hops make a bigger impression (a good one). Overall, a nice imperial wit. Good balance, not super complex, but interesting and tasty enough to drink another.

(12oz can). Pours coudy orange with thin white head. Not much carbonation either. Aroma of orange, yeast and spice. Taste is semi-sweet/sour. Thin/medium bodied with sticky texture. Finish is pretty smooth. I didn't realize that this is 8.5% when I bought it. If this were lower in abv, this would be a very easy beer to drink, especially in the hot Arizona summer. Not sure why they made it this strong.

This beer is highly underrated in my opinion. It's delicious and has so much great wheat and orange flavor. Definitely a really good witbeir, not incredible but I don't see the reason for the low reviews.

The pour is a cloudy orange color with the head off white and moderate in size, the lace in sheets that cling longingly to the glass. Nose is earthy, light hits of malt, citrus, clean fresh and inviting. Front is sweet and nicely malt laden with the top light. Finish is modestly hopped and the acidity tolerable, quite dry and long lasting aftertaste, a decent drinking beer.